Sai's Rebirth: The Shindou Life
by Tsukikage Hoshiko
Summary: SEQUEL TO SAI'S SHADOW. Being reborn as Shindou Hikaru’s little brother isn’t easy. Having both a prodigy older brother, and a past life, can Sai live up to those expectations? Or will his rebirth leave him a shadow of himself?
1. Chapter 1 Shadows of Skill

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hikaru no Go. Hotta Yumi does, I just play with her world.**

**Sai's Rebirth: The Shindou Life Chronicles**

**oOoOoOoOoOo**

**Chapter 1**

**Year 2: Shadows of Skill**

**oOoOoOoOoOo**

Hikaru stared fondly at his little brother. With each passing day, Sai grew more and more. He was becoming more and more like the Sai he remembered, the ghost that had changed his life. Hikaru had no real proof, but he was sure that Sai was the reincarnation of his namesake. In Sai's childish enthusiasm, he could see the ghost Sai.

Although, there was still the matter of Go. Sai had yet to touch a Goban. Of course, Sai had just learned to walk, he couldn't even talk yet…

"Igo!" A childish call snapped Hikaru out of his musings.

"Did you say something Sai?" Hikaru asked.

"Igo! Play!" Sai stated proudly.

Hikaru chuckled, that was an order if he ever heard one. Minutes later he was playing his two year old brother. Although expecting a slaughter, within minutes Hikaru was surprised. It was a slaughter… for him! He lost horribly to his baby brother.

"He is without a doubt, Fujiwara no Sai. No one else plays like this." Hikaru stated, amazed.

Sai looked up at his older brother expectantly and said " 'Karu-nii! Play! Go!"

Hikaru only chuckled, and complied to his baby brother's request. The question of Sai's soul could be contemplated later.

And so it began…..

oOoOoOoOoOo

_Author's Note This is only a teaser. I'll remove it when I start the real story. The majority of the story takes place a couple years after the first chapter. I'll go through most of his life, and journey to the world of the pros. I haven't decide how long it is going to go, so don't ask me. Anyway, for those of you that requested longer chapters... enjoy! I'm going to make each chapter represent a year from here on out. I may skip a few, but I doubt it. _


	2. Chapter 2 Insei

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hikaru no Go. Hotta Yumi does, I just play with her world.**

**Sai's Rebirth: The Shindou Life Chronicles**

**oOoOoOoOoOo**

**Chapter 2**

**Year 6: Insei**

**oOoOoOoOoOo**

_Pa-chink!_

Hikaru placed a stone and looked up incredulously at his opponent. "You're crazy! Sai is way too young. And further more…"

Touya Akira simply waited as his friend argued his point. After Hikaru paused to take a breath, Touya mildly asked "Are you done?"

Hikaru shot him a glare. "Sai is only 6 years old, there is no way he can take the Insei exam."

"Have you not been paying attention at all? Sai is no ordinary child; his ability far exceeds that of a child protégée. He could easily pass the Insei exam." Touya stated.

"I know that he can pass, he's strong. He's probably strong enough to become one of the top Insei, but that's not the point." Hikaru argued.

Akira raised his eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Don't you think he should at least have some semblance of a normal childhood? He loves Go, but I don't think he has to make it an obsession this early in life. I mean he hasn't even started elementary school yet!" Hikaru said.

"Sai is not normal." Touya said quietly. "We both know that he still has lingering memories of before. You can see it in his Go."

Both pros understood what _before_ meant. They meant Sai's previous life, when he was a ghost.

"But still…" Hikaru continued. "He'll be a lot younger than the other kids. Don't they have an age requirement or something?"

"Only that they be under 18." Touya answered. "There is no minimum age requirement."

"But no one is going to take him seriously. He's so young." Hikaru complained.

Touya stared at Hikaru incredulously. "You of all people know that age is not important in playing go. And besides, with the recommendations of three pros he should have no problem with them accepting his application."

"Three?" Hikaru asked.

"Don't forget about Waya. He also knows about Sai, and would vouch for him." Touya pointed out.

**Pa-chink!**

Touya place his stone. Hikaru sighed, he knew that he had lost both the game and the argument.

"I'll ask him about it when I go home today." Hikaru promised.

oOoOoOoOoOo

"WHAT?"

For the second time that day Hikaru was surprised at what he was hearing. His father was being transferred to America. His parents were asking him to move back into the house to keep it for them. There was one major problem, they would be taking Sai with them.

"You can't take Sai with you to America!" Hikaru exclaimed.

Mr. Shindou was surprised by his eldest son's outburst.

"Why not? We are his parents after all." He stated.

"Because… because…" Hikaru groped for words. "He's going to become an Insei!"

"He hasn't even taken the test yet, how can you know?" Mr. Shindou asked.

"Because he's strong, in a couple years he will be able to pass the pro exams easily. He just needs more experience. Dad, I'm telling you, Sai will become one of the strongest pros out there." Hikaru said.

"Hikaru, Sai is going to need a guardian. We can't just leave him here by himself." Mr. Shindou pointed out.

"I'll take care of him!" Hikaru exclaimed. "I have a steady paying job, and while I'm away, Mrs. Touya can take care of him. She adores him."

"This is your brother we're talking about, not a dog! You can't possibly be prepared to take care of a child! You're only 21 years old!" Mr. Shindou said incredulously.

"21 is plenty old enough! And I'm responsible. I look after Sai all the time." Hikaru argued.

Father and son glared at each other, neither backing down.

A young voice piped up. "I want to stay with 'Niichan and play Go!" Sai said with all the resolve a 6 year old could muster up.

Both Hikaru and Mr. Shindou were startled, they hadn't even realized that Sai had entered the room. A slow smile crept onto Hikaru's face as he realized that it was now 2 against 1. Mr. Shindou repressed a sigh as he prepared himself for the uphill battle of convincing **both** of his sons.

He never had a chance.

oOoOoOoOoOo

The Shindou family stood in the airport, saying their tearful farewells.

Mrs. Shindou bent down to hug her youngest son. "Mind your older brother now, and make sure to eat your vegetables. Mama will try to visit you often."

"Bye Mama! Don't worry 'Niichan will take good care of me." Sai replied.

Mr. Shindou gave his oldest son a wary look. "Make sure that you watch out for him, and call us if you need anything." He said gruffly.

Hikaru nodded in agreement, and gave his parents a comforting smile. "Don't worry Dad, I'll manage."

With one more round of goodbyes the Shindou parents left to go through the terminal.

"Come on Sai, let's go home."

oOoOoOoOoOo

_**Sai watched the scene before him. Hikaru would be crushed if he failed the Insei exam. Hikaru may not like it, but the best thing to do would be for Sai to play in his stead.**_

_**"Hikaru? Hikaru, at this rate a loss is certain. Hikaru if you so desire, this one time I will…"**_

_**Sai stared more closely at Hikaru. Letting out a sigh of reluctant acceptance, he marveled at Hikaru's strength of concentration, but worried about his current lack of skill...**_

"Sai!" Hikaru called. "Breakfast is ready!"

Sai rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes. _That was a weird dream. I saw 'Nichan, but he was so young! I couldn't have been at his Insei exam. He was a Pro before I was even born!_ Pushing the confusing dream out of his mind, he put on his slippers and shuffled downstairs to the kitchen. Taking in the surroundings he blinked curiously.

"'Niichan! Ramen isn't for breakfast!" Sai pointed out.

Hikaru ruffled Sai's hair. "It is now squirt! Come on, eat up! We have to turn in your application for the Insei exam today!"

Sai stifled a yawn as he dug into his breakfast Ramen. He looked forward to today, it would bring him one step closer to being an Insei.

Sai applied for the insei exam that December. At first the admissions people were reluctant to process his application. When they saw on his form that he had the recommendations of three pros, (two of them were the famous prodigies Touya Akira, and Shindou Hikaru) their hesitation evaporated.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Shinoda sighed, another applicant that he had to fail. He looked at the tearful young girl, and felt a little guilty. He always felt guilty when the cried, but as the Insei instructor he had to make sure that a certain level was maintained, and that meant that he would have to turn away many applicants.

Smiling gently, he tried to comfort her. "You are doing well for a beginner, please become stronger and try again." He encouraged.

The girl murmured an affirmative as she walked out, followed by her mother. Her mother turned to bow to the Sensei, thanking him for his time, and then went to join her daughter at the genkan.

Shinoda walked out of the room to meet with the next and last applicant. Walking out to the waiting room he was surprised to see such a small child waiting there. _Probably has an older sibling that is an applicant and was dragged along with them._ The child was startled and looked up. A look of recognition flashed on his face.

"You are Shinoda-sensei right?" The child looked up curiously.

Bending down so that he was at eye level with the boy he replied. "Yes, I am. I don't believe that I have met you. How do you know my name?"

The boy's eyebrows furrowed as if he was thinking hard. "I must have met you, I mean I recognized you…"

"Anyway, I am Sai! I am the next applicant." Sai's demeanor changed to being cheerful.

Shinoda was surprised, he had never had such a young applicant. _Is he serious? His parents must really be pushing him to learn Go._ He thought glumly. _He will probably be very disappointed when I have to fail him. He will probably cry._

He led the boy into the testing room. Sai handed three kifu to Shinoda-sensei. Shinoda looked over them curiously. Not only were they print outs of Net Go games, but they also displayed a level of depth and skill that was unusual for any child, especially one as young as Sai.

"I even made my user name ShindouSai so that you could tell it was my games." Sai smiled brightly.

_Shindou?_ Shinoda-sensei looked at the kifu more closely, and indeed one of the two players had the user name ShindoSai. _Is it a coincidence?_ Checking the application he saw that the boy's name was indeed Shindou Sai, and that one of his sponsors was Shindou Hikaru.

Hikaru walked in looking embarrassed. "Sorry I'm late, I just stepped out to get a drink."

Shinoda blinked. "So Sai is your –"

"Little brother." Hikaru finished.

Shinoda frowned. Handling this applicant could be troublesome, even if his brother was Shindou Hikaru didn't necessarily mean that the little brother would be just as strong. It seemed impossible for such a young child to pass the Insei exam, but he was obligated to treat each applicant fairly.

He turned to Sai. "I see, well shall we begin?"

Both Sai and Shinoda settled down in front of the Go board.

"Shinoda-sensei, I am supposed to place three stones right?" Sai asked.

"Yes, that's right. Oh, and you don't have to sit in the seiza position for this game." Shinoda smiled, remembering Hikaru's Insei exam.

"That's okay, I'm used to it." Said Sai as he placed the three stones.

Both of them bowed their heads. "Onegaishimasu!"

oOoOoOoOoOo

Sai fidgeted nervously. He was losing. Sai bowed his head in despair. _What should I do? I don't want to lose this game, I really want to become an Insei! Just like Niichan. Just like Niichan…_

_**Sai watched the scene before him. Hikaru would be crushed if he failed the Insei exam. Hikaru may not like it, but the best thing to do would be for Sai to play in his stead.**_

_**"Hikaru? Hikaru, at this rate a loss is certain. Hikaru if you so desire, this one time I will…"**_

This one time I will…

This one time I will play in your stead!

As if possessed Sai looked up and studied the board before him with new eyes. Full of determination he placed a stone. _I can win this!_

oOoOoOoOoOo

Shinoda studied the board. At this rate, he should win by 7 moku. Overall, the boy was definitely strong enough to be an Insei. Within a few weeks he would probably be in the top 5 of the second class. Shinoda was impressed that the boy was so strong at such a young age.

Shinoda studied the boy, Sai was tense and looked depressed. Shinoda sighed, Sai was just like his older brother. He probably thought he had to win to pass the Insei exam. He was about to reassure the boy when the atmosphere changed. It seemed to grow heavy and intense. Sai looked up and placed his next stone.

Shinoda once again studied the boy. Sai's demeanor had changed completely. The nervous child was gone, in his place was a player with experience at least ten times Sai's age. Shinoda shivered at the strange transformation. This match no longer had the feel of an Insei exam, instead it felt like…

It felt like a match against someone like Touya Kouya.

Shinoda steeled himself for the furious battle ahead of him and placed the next stone.

oOoOoOoOoOo

With komi, Sai won by 2 and a half moku. It was an incredible comeback. Shinoda sat back in amazement. Sai had changed completely halfway through the game. _To think that such a child exists, in some ways he is just as surprising as his brother._

"Ano? Do I pass?" Sai's voice startled Shinoda from his musings.

Shinoda looked up with surprise. Sai seemed to have changed back into the young child that he appeared to be. "Yes, of course you pass. Come back next month, I'm sure that your brother remembers his Insei days. He can answer any questions you have."

Hikaru, who had stayed quiet throughout the exam, went over to his little brother and ruffled his hair. "Congrats squirt! C'mon I'll treat you to Ramen!"

Sai pushed Hikaru's hand off his he, and attempted to straighten out his hair. "'Niichan! We ate Ramen for breakfast! Let's go eat Sushi!"

Hikaru snorted. "You've been hanging around Waya too much. Ramen is defiantly better than Sushi!"

Shinoda watched the two brothers with amusement, they continued to bicker as the left the room.

_Shindou Sai, he is definitely one to watch out for!_

oOoOoOoOoOo

Sai bounced from table to table happily. Since it was a weekend, Hikaru brought Sai along with him to a Go convention that he had to tutor at. Sai was just happy to have so many people to watch and play against.

"Excuse me?" A young voice said. "Are you lost?"

Sai turned around and was surprised that the owner of the voice was a boy around his age.

"No, I'm not lost. I wanted to look at the other games while 'Niichan is working." Sai looked up curiously. "Do you play Go?"

The boy nodded.

Sai grinned. He took the boy's hand. "Let's play a game! There's an open table this way!"

Sai led the boy to the open table. They sat opposite of each other and bowed.

"Onegaishimasu!"

oOoOoOoOoOo

Seijiro walked past the many tables bored. He liked Go, but it was almost painful to watch beginners play. He wished that his father didn't take him to so many of these events. There was never anyone there that could match him, and most adults got frustrated when they lost to him. Watching the pros play was worthless, they were all playing shido-go. He wouldn't be able to learn anything.

Suddenly he noticed a young boy, running from table to table. _He looks younger than me. He's probably lost and looking for his parent or something._

"Excuse me?" He asked. "Are you lost?"

Startled, the boy turned around. "No, I'm not lost. I wanted to look at the other games while 'Niichan is working."

The boy looked up curiously. "Do you play Go?"

Seijiro nodded nervously. _Oh no! I don't want to play a beginner! I'll probably crush him!_

The boy grinned. He took the Seijiro's hand. "Let's play a game! There's an open table this way!"

The boy led Seijiro to the open table. _I don't want to be rude, I guess I'll try to go easy on him._ They sat opposite of each other and bowed.

"Onegaishimasu!"

oOoOoOoOoOo

Seijiro was shocked. He had lost by 7 moku! He had severely underestimated the other boy, and by the time he had realized it, it was too late to recover. _Could this be the rival my father says I should by searching for?_

"H-how are you so strong? How old are you?" He asked dumbfounded.

Sai looked up. "I'm an insei! Oh, and I play with my 'Niichan everyday. I'm six years old, but I turn seven this March!"

Sai grinned. "You're pretty strong, but you went easy on me in the beginning. If you hadn't done that you probably would have done a lot better!"

Sai looked behind him. "Oh! My 'Niichan is calling me! I have to go, it was fun playing you though!" Sai waved and ran off.

"A year younger." Seijiro murmured in amazement.

"Seijiro! Are you ready to go?" Seijiro jumped, startled he turn to look at the voice.

"Father! I met this kid, and he's really good, and he's younger than me and he beat me!" Seijiro babbled excited.

Ogata Seiji smiled warmly to his son. His icy demeanor melted when it came to his son. He worried about his son, his son was talented, but he lacked the drive, the fire to improve himself. Seijiro was much like Akira before he had met Shindou Hikaru.

He was happy to see Seijiro so excited about Go. Perhaps he had found his rival, his 'Shindou Hikaru'.

"That's great son, what's his name?" He asked

Seijiro blinked and concentrated. "He… He never said his name! Oh no! I'll never find him! No, wait…" Seijiro thought some more and smiled. "He's an Insei! Father! I want to become an Insei! I'm sure to meet him then!"

"An Insei? Hmmm, Okay, tomorrow we'll go apply for the Insei exam." Ogata said.

Seijiro just smiled in anticipation.

oOoOoOoOoOo

_Author's note: Sorry this took so long, I have a difficult time writing things when I am unsure of the ending. I would hate to have to repost chapters because I changed a little detail that later becomes important. I haven't had a chance to run this by my beta's yet so there might be alot of spelling/grammer mistakes._

_Review a lot and maybe I won't take so long on the next chapter. Ja ne._


	3. Chapter 3 Enter the Rival

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hikaru no Go. Hotta Yumi does, I just play with her world.**

**Sai's Rebirth: The Shindou Life Chronicles**

**oOoOoOoOoOo**

**Chapter 3**

**Year 7: Enter the Rival**

**oOoOoOoOoOo**

_Did you hear? Ogata-Juudan's son is joining us!_

_No! Really? I heard that he was like Touya Akira, that he wouldn't compete in amateur matches because he was too strong._

_Yes, but…_

Seijiro scanned the room, he ignored the whispers surrounding him as he searched for the boy he had met a month ago. He was disappointed when he could not find the mysterious boy. With a sigh he went to check who he would be paired with that day. Walking to his assigned board he sat down and waited. He gave an absentminded nod to his opponent and prepared for his first Insei game. It was about time to start when a small boy burst in, slightly out of breath. Seijiro's eyes widened in recognition, he had found his mysterious opponent. Watching as an older boy went playfully mess the small boy's hair, Seijiro started to rise to talk to the small boy when Shinoda-Sensei came to gently scold the boy and tell them to start the games. Seijiro sat back down. There would be time for introductions later. He turned his attention to the board and laid his first stone.

Despite his distraction, Seijiro easily won his first game. Thanking his opponent for the game, he got up and walked to the board that the younger boy was playing at. Watching the game, his excitement grew. He knew that he had found his rival, like Akira-Niisan had found his. It was agony to wait for the game to finish, even though it was only five minutes later. After the boy bowed his head and thanked his opponent for the game he looked up and blinked, waking up from his 'game trance'. Looking up his eyes widened and his face split into a wide grin as he noticed Seijiro.

"You!" Sai exclaimed. He was pleasantly surprised to find the boy from the convention in the Insei meeting. Turning to his opponent, "Namba-San, could we discuss the game later? Please!" Sai did his best puppy dog eyes.

Namba Kiyoko was reluctant at first, but quickly caved. She liked Sai, and always valued the learning experience that his games presented, but she could tell that he really wanted to talk to the new boy. With a reluctant sigh she said. "Okay, if we can't find time after lunch, then we can go to the common room after our last match."

"Thanks Nanba-San!" Sai said enthusiastically. Sai turned to Seijiro. "Come on, we can talk in the lunch room." Seijiro followed Sai with excitement. Sai sat down, and Seijiro followed his lead.

Giving a formal bow, Sai said. "My name is Shindou Sai! Nice to meet you!"

Seijiro bowed to Sai and replied, "Ogata Seijiro, Nice to meet you."

oOoOoOoOoOo

Sai raced home, breathless he touched the front door to his home. Sai threw up his arms in celebration. "Yay! I win! I get to choose our dinner!"

"Sai-chan?"

Sai looked up, startled. He was so focused on his race that he hadn't noticed the young woman beside him.

"Oneesan, do I know you?" He asked, puzzled.

"I guess it's not surprising that you don't remember me, the last time I saw you was four years ago. You were only three." She said.

Hikaru had finally caught up with his little brother. _Dang, when did he get so fast?_ He looked up to see someone with Sai. He could only see her profile, but she took his breath away. _She's beautiful._ Hikaru was about to ask for her name when she turned toward him and graced him with a dazzling smile.

"Hikaru! It's been a while." She said.

Hikaru blinked, her voice sounded so familiar… "Akari?" he asked, stunned.

"Glad to see you remembered me, you didn't write to me at all when I was at college." She pouted.

Hikaru couldn't help but notice how cute she looked when she was pouting. Hikaru rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Sorry 'bout that, I was really busy."

Akari smiled again. "It's okay, I forgive you. I know you've been busy, I've been following your career. I just came to say hi, I was going to go look at the apartments in the area." She paused, "Where are your parents? I thought that Obasan would be home at this time."

"Um, well Mom and Dad went to America. Dad was transferred there. It's just me and Sai here."

Akari was surprised. "You're watching Sai?" Kneeling down to Sai's eye level. "Has your 'Niisan been taking good care of you?"

"Yeah! 'Niichan takes good care of me! We play Go twice a day, and 'Niichan is getting better at cooking. We only eat Ramen three times a week now!" Sai said cheerfully.

"I'm glad to see that Hikaru takes such good care of you." She said dryly. "Hikaru, I'll stop by every once in while to cook for you two. Man cannot live on ramen alone."

"You don't need to go out of your way for us Akari. We manage just fine." Hikaru said, embarrassed.

"It's no problem, besides it will give me lots of opportunities to interview you and Sai." Akari said firmly.

"Interview?" Hikaru said puzzled.

"Yes, starting tomorrow I'll be working as an intern at Weekly Go." She said.

"Oh, well congratulations. Uh, good luck with that." He said awkwardly.

Akari looked at her watch. "Oh, my! It's already 6:30? I better get going if I'm going to be able to eat dinner before I go apartment hunting. Bye Hikaru, Sai-chan, I'll see you around." She waved goodbye.

"Wait! Me and Sai were just going to go to dinner. Why don't you join us?" Hikaru said.

"Yeah! We're going to go for sushi! I get to choose dinner because I won the race." Sai piped up.

Hikaru grimaced, _He's hanging around Waya too much_. "Sushi is pretty quick, c'mon I'll treat ya." He said cheerfully.

"Well, okay, it will be nice to catch up." She said hesitantly. "Are you ready to go now? I'm kind of in a hurry."

"Okay, let's go!" Sai exclaimed running down the stairs.

Hikaru chuckled. "I don't know where he gets all his energy."

"Well I seem to remember a boy that was just as energetic." Akari smiled.

Hikaru was about to retort when Sai called out. "Akari-Neechan, 'Niichan! Hurry! We'll miss the next train!"

"We're coming!" Hikaru replied as he and Akari rushed to follow Sai.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Sai munched happily on his unagi sushi while keeping an eye out for a maguro that he could snag. Meanwhile, Hikaru and Akari ate their meal quietly, lost in thought. It was rare for Hikaru be so quiet at a sushi restaurant - usually he was talking like mad and elbowing his companions to get the next piece of sushi - but since Akari was also distracted and Sai was happily eating, no one noticed.

Hikaru would occasionally glance at Akari. _Is this really the same Akari that I grew up with? When did she become so pretty?_ Hikaru had always thought of Akari as a childhood friend, the one that he had known since he was 3 years old. Of course he had always known that she was a girl, but he had never really thought of her as anything other than a playmate and maybe something like a sister. Looking at her now, he definitely didn't have any platonic feelings.

While sneaking a glance at Akari, their eyes met and they both looked away, their cheeks reddening. Suddenly uncomfortable with the silence, Hikaru tried to start up conversation.

"So–" he began, turning to Akari.

"So-" Akari started at the same time.

"No, you go first," they both said.

They exchanged a startled look. Chuckling, Hikaru gestured Akari to go first. Giving a small smile, Akari began, "So, I've been following your career so far. You're entering the Honninbou league this month, right?"

Hikaru gave a confidant grin, "Yeah! This time I'll definitely take the title from old man Kuwabara"

Akari rolled her eyes, Hikaru was always a boastful child. He always got into trouble when his mouth worked faster than his brain, an all too frequent occurrence.

"Hikaru, you're only a 7-dan. Do you really expect to win against Honninbou Kuwabara, who has held the title for over 10 years?"

"Aw, c'mon Akari! If I already believe that I'm going to lose, then I won't stand a chance. Half the game is fought up here," he said, tapping his head. "Besides, I've gotta get a title before Sai here becomes a pro and starts taking them all."

"Oh yeah, Sai, you joined the Insei school a couple of months ago, didn't you?" Akari turned to the child who had just finished a maguro roll. "How do you like it?"

"I like it a lot!" Sai replied cheerfully. "I get to play with a lot of people closer to my age. 'Niichan and his friends are really old!"

"Hey, who are you calling old?" Hikaru spluttered while Akari laughed. _This, coming from a 1000 year-old Go player in a little kid's body. Not that Sai really knows he's that old._

"Today there was a new Insei who's only a year older than me and he's pretty strong!" Sai said, excitement written all over his face. "He's really nice and we played five games!"

"Really? Pretty strong? Did he beat you?" Hikaru asked. Why a kid that strong would be an Insei was beyond him; even Sai was too strong for most of the Insei.

"Well, I won four times and he won once," said Sai, reaching for another piece of sushi, "but we both had a lot of fun and he said it would be different next time." Hikaru took a sip of his tea. "So, this new friend of yours, what's his name?"

"Ogata Seijiro!" Sai said happily, having downed his piece of sushi in one gulp.

Hikaru's eye widened as he choked on the tea. Coughing slightly he asked, "He wouldn't happen to be related to Ogata Juudan?"

"I guess so. I didn't ask, but Seijiro said his dad was a pro," Sai thought hard. "He does look a lot like him."

Sai continued to babble on about Seijiro, but Hikaru stopped listening, distracted. Out of everyone that he had not told, Ogata was the closest to the truth, and the most persistent. He had been adamant that Hikaru had some connection with Sai (_well he was right_) and he was also the most stubborn about insisting that Hikaru introduce him to Sai. Hikaru cringed inwardly. This would probably set Ogata off again. It would be too much of a coincidence that Hikaru's kid brother was named Sai' for him to ignore. Well, he couldn't hide his little brother forever, especially when his little brother was the reincarnation of 'Fujiwara No Sai', albeit as a little kid without his memories. Hikaru had known that he would have to face Ogata's curiosity eventually, but he hadn't expected to have to deal with it so soon. After all, Sai had only been an Insei for a couple of months! Hikaru groaned. _This is going to be a pain._

oOoOoOoOoOo

Ogata Seiji was not the warmest of individuals. All that had changed when his son came into his life. The change hadn't been immediate. When a three-year-old Seijiro was almost literally dropped on his doorstep, having a son had been a huge inconvenience. Seijiro had been a product of a brief relationship that had ended just as quickly as it had begun, like most of his relationships. In his focused pursuit of fame in the Go world and his first title, he had hardly given Mieko a second thought and had never noticed that he had lost contact with her entirely. In fact, he had almost forgotten her when he read the notice of her death in the papers. She had been in a car accident, leaving behind her three-year-old son. _His son._

Mieko had never told him, even though she had specified in her will that her son, Seijiro was to go to his father in the event of her death. He was the boy's only living relative. Unwilling to simply send the boy to an orphanage, he reluctantly took the child in.

At first, it was an awkward time. Ogata had no experience with young children and the mess and the noise of having a three-year-old in the house did not work well with his lifestyle of Go and study, drinking and late nights. Eventually, he had simply hired a nanny, relegated Seijiro to her care, and told her to keep the boy quiet when he was in the house. That state of affairs had lasted until one day when Ogata came home to find a four-year-old Seijiro sitting at his Go board and trying to figure out how to place a stone with his grubby fingers. At first, his impulse had been to be irritated and tell the boy not to touch his things. Instead, for some reason that he couldn't quite understand himself, he sat down with his son and showed him how to hold the stone. Then he taught him the basics of Go.

As the year progressed and Ogata continued to teach the boy Go, Seijiro became fascinated with the game, and Ogata got to know his son. The child who had at first been so quiet and almost afraid around him slowly opened up to reveal an energetic, excitable four-year-old, with a big smile and a big heart. And somewhere along the way, Ogata finally made the connection that he was a father and this was his son, and it was no longer an inconvenience.

In addition, Ogata was pleasantly surprised to find that Seijiro had a natural aptitude for the game. In fact, his son was just as talented as Akira, perhaps more so. As Seijiro grew older, his skill in the game rapidly increased, he was already close to the skill of a lower dan.

Considering his son's strength, Ogata was surprised to hear that Seijiro had found an equal…no, not an equal, someone who was just above his skill level. Someone whom he could chase. Ogata had noticed that his son was becoming bored, but encountering the boy at the convention had changed that. Ogata had never expected that Seijiro would find someone his age that could beat him. He was happy that Seijiro had found a rival, someone that could motivate and push him in a way no one else would.

Ogata was startled out of his musings by the arrival of his son.

A loud crash followed by yelp, and a still half-asleep, somewhat sheepish Seijiro.

"Sorry about the vase, Father, I bumped into it on my way down stairs. Don't worry, I cleaned it up already." Seijiro managed to look embarrassed while yawning.

Ogata gave his son an amused look. He had long since learned to not keep anything really expensive and breakable around the house and to keep cleaning supplies handy. Seijiro was slow to wake up and in the process was usually very clumsy. After the first expensive breakable, Ogata scolded his son, which left him in tears. Ordinarily, he wouldn't care about a crying child, but somehow, when it was his son, it was different. Seijiro melted his heart in a way that no one else ever had. Not that any outsider would see that softening. In order to avoid future problems, Ogata settled for keeping nice, but inexpensive decorations.

Ogata took a sip from his coffee as Seijiro poured milk on his cereal and started to butter his toast. Surveying his still half-asleep son, he decided to take the opportunity to ask Seijiro about his day. Small talk always seemed to wake Seijiro up.

"So, how was your first day as an Insei?" Ogata asked.

Seijiro immediately perked up. Fully alert and bursting with excitement, he answered his father. "It was great! Well, being in the second class wasn't so fun, but I found the boy from the convention! After the matches, we went to the common room and played 5 games. I lost all but one, but I still had fun." Seijiro babbled on.

Ogata allowed himself a small smile. He was happy for his son. He knew that Seijiro was beyond the Insei level, and truthfully thought it was beneath him to become one, but if this was a place for him to pursue his rival, it was different. Instead, it was like when Akira had joined his middle school's Go club. In fact, this was better because the level of play was higher. Seijiro might just learn something after all.

Seijiro continued. "I'm just disappointed because I won't be able to enter the first class until next month at the earliest. I won't get to play Sai in an Insei match until then because he's in the first class, and…"

Seijiro was interrupted by the sound of breaking ceramic. Looking up, he saw the coffee mug had slipped out of his father's nerveless fingers.

"Did you say Sai?" Ogata swallowed and tried to speak casually. He was embarrassed that, after six years, that name still had the power to unsettle him so much. After all, it was not a very uncommon name.

Seijiro looked at him curiously. "Yes, his name is Shindou Sai."

Ogata blinked. "'Shindou' as in Shindou Hikaru?" he asked.

"Yes, he's Sai's older brother," Seijiro replied.

Seijiro was puzzled by his father's behavior; he had never seen him so rattled. Pushing those thoughts out of his head, he went to get the cleaning supplies to clean up the mess that the dropped coffee mug had made.

As his son left the room, Ogata's mind began to race with the implications. He had always suspected that Shindou Hikaru was connected to Sai - the way he had set up the game with Touya Kouya, and his playing style were proof of that. But to have a little brother named Sai indicated a much closer relationship than he had previously thought. Did it mean that the Netgo 'sai' was a friend of the family? Or perhaps a relative? What did it all mean? In any case, it was time that he began watching Shindou Hikaru again. And he would definitely by watching Shindou Sai. In watching the boy, he might find the answers he was so desperately seeking.

oOoOoOoOoOo

_Author's note: I finally got this out! I had a really bad case of writer's block for a while. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long. Anyway, I'd like to thank my beta, starprov356. Without her the last two scenes wouldn't be nearly as detailed. If you want to read the scenes as they're in progress, please check out my yahoo group, it's listed as my homepage. I would really like to hear your opinions, and any ideas you could give me._


	4. Chapter 4 Wakajishisen pt 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hikaru no Go. Hotta Yumi does, I just play with her world.**

**Sai's Rebirth: The Shindou Life Chronicles**

**oOoOoOoOoOo**

**Chapter 4**

**Year 7: Wakajishisen part 1**

**oOoOoOoOoOo**

Sai bounced impatiently for the elevator doors to open, he had been looking forward to this ever since he heard about it. The Wakajishisen. A chance to play Pro players, Sai was just bursting with excitement. While Sai's enthusiasm for the game was such that he could even enjoy playing novices, the chance at a true challenge made the cheerful boy positively giddy. Finally, he reached his floor and the doors slid open.

Walking into the room, looked around and spotted his insei friends. He also spied some of the young pros, some of them he had read about. As he walked into the room and took in the sights he was filled with anticipation, and…nostalgia? Sai's eyebrows furrowed in concentration. That didn't make sense, how could he feel nostalgic about an event that he was experiencing for the first time? Seijiro had spotted Sai and was calling him over. Shaking the confusing thoughts from his head, he made his way over to his friend.

"Good Morning!" Sai said cheerfully, as he practically bounded over.

Seijiro and Oki smiled at their friends antics.

"Excited much?" Seijiro asked, amused.

Sai's eyes lit up. "Yeah! Did you see Kobayashi-2 dan? I read that he is the most promising of the new players! The only person to rise to 2-dan sooner was Akira-'Niichan! And..."

"Akira, as in Touya Akira? You know Touya Akira?" Seijiro asked surprised.

"Yeah, he's 'Niichan's best friend! He plays with me at least once a week! I'm down to 2 stone handicap now!" Sai boasted.

Seijiro looked at his friend in amazement. Why had he never met Sai before? The Touya family were a good friends of his father. It seemed odd that he would never have had a chance meeting with Sai until recently. He didn't even know that Akira-'Niisan had any friends.

Seijiro was about to ask when he was cut off by the arrival of none other than Touya Akira himself.

Akira gave the two younger boys a warm smile. "Seijiro, Sai, are you excited for your first tournament?"

Sai was practically bursting with excitement. "Yeah! I can't wait Akira-'Niichan! I finally get to play pros who won't hold back." Sai directed a slight pout at Akira.

Akira simply gave a small smile as he patted the pouting child's head, "I'll be playing you seriously soon enough. You are growing pretty quickly."

Seijiro was stunned by the easy comradary that the two had fallen into, Akira-'Niisan was kind to him, but it was a polite kindness. Nothing like what Seijiro was seeing right before him.

It was at that moment that the buzzer went off signaling the players to report to their tables. "Opps, it's time to start." Oki said, he turned to Sai. "Sai, you haven't gotten a chance to see the assignments, but I checked all of ours. You're at table one, your opponent is Muramoto shodan. I'll catch up to you after our games." With that Oki and Seijiro hurried to their assigned boards.

Sai looked up at Akira. "Are you going to watch, Akira-'Niichan?"

Akira gave a slight nod. "I'll be watching Seijiro's game as well, so I'll be splitting my time between you two." Akira said with a small smile.

Sai gave a happy nod in acknowledgement as he bounded over to his own table.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Muramoto Yuka fidgeted a bit uncomfortably, she was still getting used to the events that Pros were expected to attend, this was her first tournament and she didn't quite know what to expect. She had never been an insei, she had entered the Pro exam as an outsider, and managed to qualify by a hair. Gaining her strength in go salons and on the net, she was mostly self taught and didn't have much exposure to Pros. Although she read 'Weekly Go', it hadn't really prepared her for the life of a Pro. She only hoped she didn't embarrass herself too much, by losing her first match. As she understood it, an insei was a junior Pro, but some of them were good enough to qualify as Pros, but still, she was a Pro now and had to protect her reputation.

Her musings were cut off by the rumble of the chair opposite of her moving. Looking up, she saw the most adorable little boy.

The boy plopped down in the seat and looked up. "Hi! I'm Shindou Sai, your opponent! Nice to meet you!" Sai said, bowing his head a little as he said the last sentence.

Yuka was stunned and took a second to regain her bearings. After a moment of hesitation, she returned the bow. "Muramoto Yuka, nice to meet you." She said, still a little shocked. This little boy was really her opponent?

She opened her mouth to ask a question, but was cut off by the sound of the buzzer to begin. When Sai place the first stone, she looked up into his adorable amethyst eyes. He was such a small little boy, and he would be so disappointed at a loss that she didn't want to crush him. With that decided, she settled into a game of Shidou-Go, and placed the next stone.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Touya Akira sighed. Muramoto-shodan had made the all too common mistake of underestimating Sai. She had lost the game five moves in, but she probably wouldn't realize it for another ten or twenty. Akira was a little disgusted, he expected the shodan to make a better showing, after all she had entered as an outsider, so that meant she wasn't weak. Sai wouldn't hold it against her that she had underestimated him, but Akira couldn't help but feel a little insulted on Sai's behalf. He remembered a time when people underestimated him because of his age, and it still irritated him.

Moving to watch Seijiro's game, he notice a familiar blond and the entrance way. With an exasperated sigh he made his way over to his friend.

"You're late." Akira said simply.

Hikaru gave a sheepish grin. "Overslept, Sai was supposed to wake me up." He looked up and searched the room, his eyes rested on the small boy.

Akira rolled his eyes. "Only you would depend on a seven year old to make you be on time."

Hikaru sputtered a little. "Hey! I can't help it if I'm a late riser and Sai is an early bird!"

Akira sighed, in some ways Hikaru was more like a child than Sai.

Hikaru looked around a bit, his eyes finally falling on the small amethyst haired child. "How's he doing? Why aren't you watching him?"

Akira let out a sigh. "It's a slaughter. Muramoto shodan began playing a game of shidou-go. She's already lost, but I don't think she sees it yet."

Hikaru winced. "Ouch! That's going to hurt, losing to Sai like that."

"Indeed." Akira nodded. "I was about to watch Seijiro's match. You know, Ogata Seijiro?"

Hikaru perked up. "Ya mean Sai's rival? Sure! I've been meaning to meet the kid." Then Hikaru remembered something and he looked around nervously. "Is HE going to be here?"

It was only though long years of association with Hikaru that he picked up on what the other pro was saying. "I believe that Ogata-san is coming later. He had something to attend to, but he said he would come."

"Great." Hikaru said glumly. "It feels like I just got him off my back about Sai too."

Akira offered a small smile, and patted Hikaru's arm. "Well, you knew that the day would come sometime. It was inevitable, when the name 'Shindou' and 'Sai' were put together."

Hikaru groaned, sure he had known it, but that didn't make it any easier to take. The older Pro had always unnerved him with his intense gaze and frigid mannerisms. He was NOT looking forward to the coming confrontation with the Juudan.

oOoOoOoOoOo

_**Author's Note: Yes I know this was really short, but this has been just sitting around for months and I wanted to get it out somehow. I mainly posted to see how many of you are still even interested in this story. I could really use some ideas, I have a yahoo message board for that, but it has been sadly dead lately, no one posts anything anymore. I am seriously considering giving this story up for adoption, but hope it won't come to that. I do have some future plans if I can just get past a few hurdles.**_


	5. Chapter 5 Wakajishisen pt 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hikaru no Go. Hotta Yumi does, I just play with her world.**

**Sai's Rebirth: The Shindou Life Chronicles**

**oOoOoOoOoOo**

**Chapter 5**

**Year 7: Wakajishisen part 2**

**oOoOoOoOoOo**

Muramoto Yuka bit her lip nervously. She had realized 20 hands in what a mistake she had made in her decision to play Shidou-go with the small child. Despite being early in the game, the small boy's brilliance was obvious. It was as if she was trying to fight against the waves of the ocean, no matter how hard she tried nothing seemed to have any effect. The difference in strength was obvious. Barely 10 moves later she dropped the stone she had just grasped back into the Go-ke.

"Arimasen." She bowed her head and tried to fight back the tears that were threatening to fall.

Sai bowed his head in response. "Arigatou Gozaimasu."

The pair cleared the board in silence, after all of her stones had been put away, Yuka was about to get up when the small voice stopped her.

"Oneesan?" Sai spoke in a quiet voice. "I know you went easy on me, but I can tell you are strong, next time play me for real, ne?" Sai offered a shy smile.

Yuka managed a watery smile back at the child. "Yes, I will."

Sai brightened at that. "I will look forward to it."

With that, Yuka excused herself, she had to get away from there.

Sai made his way to join Akira and Hikaru. Both of them were watching Seijiro's match.

"'Niichan! You made it!" The boy said happily.

Hikaru ruffled his brother's hair. "You were supposed to wake me up, squirt." He said with a mock glare.

Sai pulled his head away from his brother's hand and fixed his hair. "I tried to, 'Niichan! You kept on rolling back over and falling asleep again! I left later because I was trying to get you up! Instead of being early, I barely made it on time! It's your own fault for playing video games until late last night." The boy said indignantly.

Akira bit back a snicker. Sometimes it was hard to tell which was the older sibling.

The two siblings continue to bicker a bit more until a stern glare from Shinoda-sensei silenced them. They both flushed with embarrassment and then turned their attention to Seijiro's match.

Seijiro's opponent was Tsuru Kenta-shodan. Even though he was a Shodan, unlike Sai's opponent, he had been a pro for over a year. Tsuru-shodan had been an Insei and just barely passed the pro exam two years ago. He was steadily gaining enough wins for a promotion but with his record, he knew it might take another year or so. He had been one of the top Insei, and he knew that the kid in front of him was second in the first class, but this... This level of strength was unexpected. This match didn't feel like an Insei match, but more like a pro match. Kenta knew that the boy was Ogata-Juudan's son, which didn't technically mean that the son would be strong, but there had been whispers of excitement surrounding the boy. It was reminiscent of the hype surrounding Touya Meijin's son.

**Pa-chink!**

The Shodan's musings were broken by Seijiro's move. Kenta studied the board with chagrin. That last move was critical; Kenta's strength lay in his ability to read ahead. He could tell now from that one move that even if he fought hard, he would still come up short. There was only one thing to do now...

"Makemashita." Kenta bowed his head in resignation.

"Arigatou Gozaimasu." Seijiro said in response.

After the board was cleared, Sai bounded over to Seijiro's side with Hikaru and Akira following at a much more sedate pace.

"You won! This is great!" Sai said happily, with the exuberance that it seemed only Sai could muster.

Seijiro smiled brightly. "Yes, maybe we'll see each other in the finals!" He said with hope.

"That would be great! I'll do my best!" Sai promised.

The spectator's surrounding the pair didn't quite know what to make of the two children. With any other children, this would sound like empty boasting, but for these two...

"You still are two matches away from that, I think it would be best if you worried more about your next match rather than the possible final round." There was a hint of reproach in Akira's voice.

"Hai, Akira-niisan." Seijiro said solemnly.

"Hai, Akira-niichan." Sai said with a slight pout.

Sai's eyes fell onto Hikaru and he brightened. "Oh! This is my 'Niichan, Shindou Hikaru." The small boy introduced his brother.

"It's nice to meet you, Shindou-san." Seijiro said politely.

Hikaru gave a dismissive wave. "Hikaru-san is fine." He said with a grin. "It's good to finally meet you, you're all that Sai talks about nowadays."

Sai reddened. "'Niichan!"

Hikaru simply laughed and mussed the boy's hair.

Sai pouted for a minute before turning to his friend. "Why don't we go see the other games?" He asked Seijiro. The older boy nodded and then the pair toward the two young pros, they excused themselves to make their way toward one of their Insei friend's game.

"I wonder how Oki-san is doing." Sai said quietly as the pair approached the other Insei.

Seijiro shrugged half-heartedly, he liked Oki well enough but wasn't particularly interested in seeing how he was doing. Oki was a pretty solid player, but compared to Sai...

Well, it really couldn't be helped.

Oki Noburo had previously held the top Insei spot, falling from first to third place in a matter of a few short months. Despite that, the older boy hadn't resented being unseated by two elementary school kids, he had even taken the two under his wing. Oki was a bit in awe of Sai's connection to his Hikaru, having remembered a match that he played against the young pro at the Wakajishisen six years ago. He helped Sai out, and fended off some of the more jealous Insei from discouraging the young boy. When Seijiro appeared, he did his best to help out the new Insei as well.

Oki was a solid player, but when compared to Sai and Seijiro... Well, there really was just no comparison.

Sai and Seijiro waited patiently for their friend to finish. The two players were evenly matched and the game was brought to Yose. Oki managed to secure the win by two moku, though. After the young pair congratulated their older friend on the win, the trio made their way around the room to see how their other Insei friends had done.

oOoOoOoOoOo

In the end, only one other Insei had made it to the second round. It was surprising that Namba Kiyoko had won against Kawaguchi Yasutora-shodan. Of all the Insei participating in the event, she was in the lower half in ranking. The trio liked the shy girl, she was a very sweet girl, but they just didn't seem to spend much time together outside of the Insei lessons.

All the same, the three boys congratulated their fellow Insei before looking to see who their next opponent was.

To Sai's great delight, it turned out that he was facing off against Kobayashi Yuuji, the newly promoted 2-dan. Seijiro would be facing off against Suzuki 3-dan and Oki had the misfortune of playing against the only 4-dan present. Oki was matched up against Murata Keisuke 4-dan, the young pro just barely fit the requirements for participating. He was just shy of 20 years old, another year or promotion and he would not have even been a participant in the Wakajishisen. Sai and Seijiro tried to cheer up their friend, even though they knew that his loss was all but assured.

The trio talked until just before it was time to start. A quick word from Shinoda-sensei sent them off to their assigned seats and they waited patiently for the signal to begin.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Kobayashi Yuuji furrowed his brow as he tried to comprehend the shape in front of him. _How can he be so strong? How can someone like him exist?_ This boy, this small child was not what he had been expecting. Not at all.

When the young, cheerful boy sat across from him, looking up to him with admiration, Yuuji had decided to give the child a good game. He had heard that this young boy was the top Insei, so it would be an insult to play Shidou-go. Still, it wouldn't seem sporting to just crush the boy, so Yuuji decided to play a very careful opening game, one that would tell him the strength of his opponent.

He had been expecting a kitten but what he found was a lion.

With every move he made there was a feeling that was building up, like a heavy pressure. Yuuji's eyes widened as he realized what it felt like. It felt like facing one of the higher ranked pros. The 2-dan looked up from the board to see the intense look in those amethyst eyes. There was a sharpness to them that was so completely out of place on the childish face.

Yuuji shivered. If the boy was this strong now... What would he be like as a Pro?

Yuuji pushed those thoughts from his head as he prepared himself for a fiece battle. The shape didn't look good for him, but he wasn't beat yet!

With that, the young pro placed his next move.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Kobayashi 2-dan had managed a slight comeback, but it wasn't enough. He didn't resign though, the game had reached its end with the young pro losing by 4 moku.

THAT started to turn some heads. Most of the people present had been watching Seijiro's matches. Seijiro was a highly anticipated newcomer, it was assumed that he would one day become a Pro. People looked to him with the same apprehension that they looked at Touya Akira's entrance into the Pro world. Being the son of the Juudan, great things were expected from him.

And they wouldn't be disappointed.

Ogata Seijiro would become one of the greatest lights in the Go world. He was a good solid player that would only get better with age and experience.

But then there was Sai.

To the Pro world, Sai was just the younger brother of Shindou Hikaru 7-dan. Although Hikaru was a well respected player, he still had yet to really make his mark in the world. To the crowd that mostly looked at titles to gauge strength, Hikaru was a nobody. Just another young Pro. So no one was really looking at Sai.

Yet.

That would all change, and soon.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Oki had lost his match, but Seijiro had won his. Seijiro's opponent had resigned in chuuban, so he had finished early enough to watch the end of Sai's match. Seijiro had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes. Even though Kobayashi 2-dan hadn't played Shidou-go against Sai, he had still clearly underestimated him.

This round Sai would be playing against Akada Yoshie 3-dan, while Seijiro would be against Murata Keisuke 4-dan.

The fact that two Insei had made it to the third round was causing a bit of a stir. That it looked very possible that they would face off in the finals, was almost unthinkable.

It was rare for an Insei to make it to the final round, and there had never been an Insei winner of the tournament.

But it looked like today may be a day of firsts.

Both Pros looked at their Insei opponent with no small amount of apprehension. They knew that they could not afford to be careless and so they prepared themselves for a fiece battle.

For Sai's match, they reached Yose before Akada Yoshie bowed her head in resignation. It had been a good game, so Sai's spirits were up. Sai finished only minutes before Seijiro did. Even though his game went to the end, Murata Keisuke was quick to think, not quite as fast as speed-go, but still faster than normal. Seijiro managed to win by 2 moku.

Now all that was left were the finals.

oOoOoOoOoOo

It was simply unheard of. One Insei would arise the winner of the tournament, for the first time ever. The fact that two Insei had reached the final round...

To many people, it was obvious that they were seeing the future of Go for Japan. History was being made.

Sai was oblivious to the murmurs of awe surrounding him, but Seijiro wasn't. The blond boy did his best to imitate his father's stoic disposition as he tried his best to ignore the tension in the crowd.

"Seijiro!" A voice startled the boy.

Looking up, his stoic expression melted and he lit up. "Father!"

"I'm sorry I'm late, you made it to the finals?" It wasn't really a question.

"Yes, I did!" Seijiro said happily. "And Sai did too!"

Ogata tried not to look too eager as he looked at the small boy beside his son.

Seijiro noticed his father's curious look. "Oh! Father! This is the boy I was telling you about. Shindou Sai."

Sai bowed politely. "It's nice to meet you, Ogata-san."

Ogata returned the gesture as he studied the boy. As if he could actually see the connection to the Netgo legend, as impossible as it was. "Nice to meet you too, Seijiro speaks highly of you."

Meanwhile, Hikaru was doing his best to not be noticed by the Juudan. He managed to stay out of the older Pro's sight until the final match started. Ogata directed a single piecing look toward Hikaru before turning his attention to the game.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Ogata watched the game with intense interest. It was unmistakable. There was some connection between the Netgo 'sai' and this child Shindou Sai. Ogata tried to work through the enigma that was Shindou Sai. The boy's style was similar to the Netgo legend. Too similar.

However...

The overwhelming strength... The profound wisdom... The ancient feeling...

The boy Sai's Go was lacking all those things. His Go held all the elements that made the Netgo's 'sai' unique... But it lacked the strength, the depth, it was as if they boy was a shadow of his former self...

Ogata shook his head as if to rid himself of those ridiculous thoughts. The way he was comparing the two, it was almost as if he thought that they were one and the same. But that was impossible... right?

Ogata's musings were interrupted by the increase volume of muttering surrounding him. The hushed whispers had a tone of amazement and wonder to them. It was then that Ogata realized that the matched had ended. Looking at the board, he saw the result of the game. With komi, his son had lost by a mere half a moku.

It truly was a beautiful game, quite unexpected for a pair of elementary school children. But then again... These were no normal children.

Ogata went to his son's side, knowing he should offer some words of encouragement. The boy's head was bowed slightly, his bangs obscuring his eyes. He put a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder.

"It's alright-" Ogata began, only to be cut off by his son.

Seijiro raised his head to reveal eyes that were not full of defeat, as his father had been expecting, but determination. "You won this one Sai, but I'll get the next one." It sounded like a promise.

The smaller boy grinned at the challenge and nodded. "Un! I look forward to it!"

oOoOoOoOoOo

Akira bit back an amused smile as he spied the expression on Hikaru's face.

The other young Pro had a cagey look to him right now. Hikaru studied the normally frigid man with an expression somewhat akin to a cornered animal. He knew. He KNEW that the man was working through the evidence before him, like solving a puzzle and then... then it would happen.

If pressed, Hikaru would admit that the Juudan scared him a little. Or at least creeped him out. To his defense, it seemed that the Netgo 'sai' manic Pro just practically attacked him in most of their early encounters. Hikaru still remembered being dragged over to Touya Meijin at the children's Go tournament ages ago, when Go was so very new to him. Or the few times that Ogata had pressed him for information about the Netgo 'sai'.

Hikaru had to suppress a shudder at the remembrance of that event. Creepy! He had to figure out a way to get out of there without being attacked by the Juudan. Unfortunately, he couldn't just take Sai and run. With Sai winning the tournament, certain procedures had to be observed.

Hikaru remembered from his own experiences in winning the Wakajishisen. It had been four years ago when he won the first time, but he remembered it like it was yesterday. It had been the first official match that Hikaru had won against Akira, after that though, Akira was no longer qualified to participate in the tournament. He was promoted to 5-dan the next year, Hikaru easily won the next Wakajishisen tournament, being the only 4-dan in the tournament, it almost seemed like a forgone conclusion. Winning against Touya Akira had gained Hikaru some small amount of fame, people still looked to Touya Akira as a force to be reckoned with, a part of the 'new wave' as Ogata would put it. So Hikaru's win over the young prodigy did turn a couple heads.

Now though, it was a well-known fact that there was a friendship/rivalry between the two young Pros. There were quite a few people waiting for the pair to rise up and snatch up one of the titles. Many people guessed that there would be another Touya Meijin and others wondered how far the two would go.

Hikaru's musings were interrupted by the closing ceremony. It was almost comical to see Sai being recognized as the winner, being just under 3 feet, he was tiny in comparison to the tournament official. Hikaru watched intently for a chance to grab Sai and go. Unlike his tournament experience, where the reporter on the scene had demanded an interview on the spot, Hikaru knew that the reporter for this year's tournament was Akari. Akari would allow them to beg off the interview for the time being and conduct it later that night, maybe even over dinner.

Hikaru saw an opening. Ogata seemed occupied with his son, so Hikaru made a beeline for his now free little brother.

"Sai, let's go. We'll go out to eat, anywhere you want." Hikaru said quickly, while keeping an eye on the Juudan out of the corner of his eye.

"But, 'Niichan! I want to talk to Seijiro..." Sai pouted a bit.

"You see him all the time, c'mon, let's go." Hikaru said as he practically dragged the small boy out of the building.

The pair had made there way to the institute's lobby, and Hikaru considered them to be home free when a voice called out.

"Shindou!"

_Geh!_ Hikaru cringed at hearing the unmistakable voice of Ogata Seiji.

Both Shindous stopped in their tracks for a moment. Sai looked back, confused. Hikaru started walking again, this time faster. He had a faint hope that the older pro would allow them to leave if he just ignored him.

"SHINDOU!" Ogata yelled more forcefully as he grabbed Hikaru's shoulder and whirled the young pro to face him. Slightly out of breath, the Juudan had had to run to catch up with the pair.

"Ogata-san-" Hikaru began, trying to hide his nervousness.

"Tell me the truth! What is your connection with 'sai'?" Ogata demanded.

Sai looked up, confused. Wasn't the answer obvious? "I'm his little brother!" Sai piped up.

Ogata's eyes never left the older Shindou, his grip on the young pro tightened. "Don't play dumb, your little brother's style is too similar to the Netgo 'sai'. Not to mention his name. You know him! You know 'sai'!"

Hikaru was in a panic. "I-I don't know what you're talking abo-"

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" Ogata said angrily.

Sai started pulling on the man's jacket. "Stop it! You're hurting 'Niichan!"

Ogata didn't even hear the boy, but he did feel it when Sai kicked him in the shin. Hard.

"Ow!" The older pro let go of Hikaru and clutched his leg in pain as he cussed up a storm.

Hikaru used the momentary distraction to scoop Sai up and make his way out of the building.

Ogata was about to run and catch up to the brothers when a young voice stopped him.

"Father?" Seijiro sounded so unsure, almost afraid.

Ogata let out a breath, as he looked toward the retreating brothers. He realized that the young Hikaru would be able to run much faster than him, especially with his limited lung capacity, a carryover from his smoking days.

Ogata did his best to put on a comforting smile as he turned to his son. "Let's go home." He said simply as he held out his hand to the child.

Seijiro hesitated for a moment before taking his father's hand. Some part of him felt as if he had just intruded on something... private. This was a side to his father he had never seen before, he had never seen his father so, so unhinged. Seijiro didn't know what to think of it all, the man he saw confront the Shindous was not the father he knew.

It scared him a little, he didn't know what to think.

oOoOoOoOoOo

"'Niichan! 'Niichan! You can let me down now!" Sai managed to yell out after Hikaru had sprinted through a couple of blocks.

Hikaru looked back and noticed that Ogata was not in pursuit. Taking a deep breath, Hikaru set his little brother down.

"'Niichan, what just happened?" Sai asked worriedly. "What was Ogata-san talking about?"

Hikaru let out a breath. "Nothing, it was nothi-"

"It was not 'nothing', 'Niichan, and you know it!" Sai stomped his foot and pouted a little.

"It's a... um... er... an adult thing, I'll tell you when you're older." Hikaru said, lying through his teeth.

Sai wanted to press his brother, but he could see the pleading look in his eyes. For the sake of his older sibling's peace of mind, Sai decided to drop the subject.

For now.

"C'mon squirt, let's go out to celebrate. Where do you want to go eat?" Hikaru rather obviously changed the subject.

"Um... Let's go to Yaki-niku! We haven't done that in forever!" Sai said enthusiastically.

Hikaru smiled at the boy's enthusiasm. "Sounds good, I'll call Akari to meet us at the usual place. I think we can catch the next train if we hurry."

With one hand Hikaru pulled out his cell phone and the other hand took his brother's much smaller hand to lead the boy toward the train station.

As Hikaru chatted on the phone, Sai tried to process the strange encounter. He never would have expected the Juudan to act like that. It was kind of frightening. The child looked up at his older brother, he knew that the older boy knew the answers to everything. One day he would pry out an explanation and then everything would make sense.

One day.

oOoOoOoOoOo

_Author's Note: Whew! It really has been a while. I have to say, this was probably the most difficult chapter to write. I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, it really did help my motivation even if my muse had abandoned me. For the longest time, I just had a writer's block when it came to this story. Hopefully that is behind me and I can finally finish this fic. I think I've just about figured out how the story is going to flow, and I even have an idea of how it will end. _

_I hope that I did the Ogata/Hikaru scene well enough. I kind of figure that Ogata was a little more desperate this time after such a long time hearing anything about the Netgo 'sai'. That would be why he was a little more violent. I also want to apologize if this chapter seems a bit rushed. I just suddenly was struck by motivation to write this story a few days ago and it almost seems like I can't write fast enough._

_I'm going to start a forum on this site. Please, please, please help me out by participating (puts Sai with puppy dog eyes in front of me). Hopefully the next chapter will be out soon. Please review! It really does make me feel better and increase my motivation level._

_Also, I'm really looking for a beta or a sounding board for ideas. Anyone interested? PM me if you are._


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